Carousel equipment of conventional design comprises a bed consisting of a single unit preassembled at the premises of the constructor and presenting a plurality of bays serving to accommodate respective carousels on which the containers are processed, that is to say, for example, sterilized, filled with a selected product and closed with a cap. Also mounted to the bed are devices for transferring the containers from one carousel to the next, as well as infeed and outfeed devices with relative motors, or a single motor, by which the containers are conveyed into and directed away from the train of carousels.
The prior art also embraces equipment wherein each carousel is equipped with a respective base frame housing the devices by which the relative carousel is set in motion.
In greater detail, carousels of conventional type appear as a revolving plate carrying a plurality of peripheral pedestals on which to stand the containers. The plate presents a peripheral outline of generally circular appearance and is keyed onto a respective rotating shaft emerging from the base frame and connected suitably to the motion-inducing devices housed in the frame.
In the case of carousels on which containers are filled, the plate carries a plurality of weighing devices associated each with a respective pedestal. Such devices are able to monitor the weight of the container continuously during the filling step.
Mounted above the revolving plate is a dispensing plate, keyed likewise to the shaft and rotatable as one with the revolving plate. The dispensing plate carries a plurality of filler nozzles from which a liquid or powder product is batched into the containers placed on the weighing devices.
In particular, each nozzle is positioned on the peripheral edge of the dispensing plate, above a relative weighing device, its operation interlocked to the selfsame weighing device in such a way that the flow of the product will be shut off when the container reaches a predetermined weight.
Carousels of the prior art type described above present significant drawbacks.
The drawbacks in question concern the structure of the revolving plate, which is required to support the aforementioned weighing devices and tends in general as a result to be very heavy and bulky.
In effect, the plate is solid steel, of thickness sufficient to guarantee high structural rigidity.
Furthermore, the plate in question is subject to appreciable wobble and vibration that disturb the reading of the container weight. For this reason, the plates commonly utilized consist in a flat disc of considerably large proportions, capable of damping vibrations. Consequently, the carousel as a whole is rendered cumbersome and heavy, creating problems with transport and installation of the equipment.
In addition, cleaning operations carried out on the carousels involve the use of a washing liquid that falls and collects on the revolving plate. This same liquid lingers on the flat top of the plate, creating damp patches that can cause metal parts of the disc to rust. When the plate is set in rotation, moreover, the cleansing liquid is flung outwards, wetting the areas around the carousel.
The object of the present invention is to provide a carousel for processing containers filled with liquid or powder products, such as will be unaffected by the drawbacks mentioned above.
In particular, the object of the invention is to provide a carousel for processing containers filled with liquid or powder products, equipped with a revolving plate that is lightweight, and at the same time rigid, sturdy and stable.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a carousel for processing containers filled with liquid or powder products, such as will enable the removal of any liquids deposited on the selfsame carousel during the course of washing operations.